Meanwhile, the Coalition of Northern Groups sent a message to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to declare a state of emergency in Taraba, Kaduna, Benue and Zamfara over the herdsmen-farmers clash.

The Nation reports that Abdulazeez Suleiman who is the spokesperson of the group gave this position on Tuesday, February 13.

He claimed the herdsmen-farmers clash was being used to exploit religious and ethnic differences in the north in order to destabilise the region.

The group called on the federal government to appoint sole administrators to run the four states as political leaders of the states have failed to restore peace.

“We nevertheless believe that the current spate of killings and unrests are not isolated incidents but are linked to a grand design to destabilize the North and bring her people to their knees by dividing them along artificial lines through exploiting ethnic and religious differences," the group said.